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A local mother and her partner were given devastating information in 2018 when their young son Fraser was diagnosed with a rare type of blood cancer.

Two years of gruelling treatment followed, involving cancer medications, radiotherapy, and immunotherapy before a cellular therapy. The young boy, by age three, made a “miraculous recovery” from the procedure, with physicians declaring the cancer in remission.

It was at this point that Gaffney, 36, began looking for answers. She remained troubled by remarks made by healthcare workers at the time of her son’s diagnosis. “We lose sleep wondering how our son got his cancer,” a doctor had shared with her.

“We can't sleep wondering how he got his illness,” a consultant had told her.

Background Information

The negligent management of enormous amounts of toxic materials after the shutdown of Europe’s largest steelworks in the town in 1979 had “always been a known thing,” said Alison. A 2009 civil case connected the improper remediation efforts of the site to a string of birth defects in local children during the twentieth century.

Increasingly, Gaffney started to link the situation to her own. “[The disease] is not genetic,” she stated. “What could cause this? … It’s got to be down to the area. All these kids [with] cancer.

“Each person here knows someone who’s got a minor [with] illness. That's unusual.”

Collective Efforts

Gaffney and Hinde started to connect with more parents in their community with similar stories – among them some of Alison's past schoolmates at a local school – and the group began assembling thorough information on those impacted. They now lead a initiative supporting about 130 families with cases of childhood cancer going back to 1988.

The group has been urging the municipal government to research any connections between instances of youth disease in the town and the shutdown of the facility. At the end of this month, medical experts are set to publish their analysis of whether the town has had a unusually high rate of instances of childhood cancer for its population of the local community.

“Our only goal is to work to secure subsequent residents so they do not have to endure the pain that we've endured,” said Alison.

Historical Context

The decision in the legal case acknowledged that, between a fourteen-year period, enormous amounts of hazardous waste from the manufacturing site were relocated “regularly” from the one area to a specific location in the northern section – with “substantial volumes” of toxic waste moved and deposited on public roads and “considerable amounts” of dust produced by the remediation.

Nevertheless, it also cited findings from the environmental authorities in 1997 that identified accumulations of contaminated material that had been abandoned at Deene Quarry were later extracted in “substantial volumes”.

Expanding Concerns

Gaffney maintains toxic substances was not only dumped at the main disposal area but in different locations of the municipality. Lately, she welcomed a “major step forward” after North Northamptonshire council said it would examine soil that could be polluted and research where contaminated substances was deposited.

Gaffney said government representatives acknowledged in the discussion that they lacked information where the locations of toxic materials could be. “They explained: ‘We lack information where these locations are. There are no records, there's no data available.’”

Community Support

The official statement was also welcomed by a community member, a educational worker at a primary school, whose nine-year-old daughter, her daughter, was found to have a hematologic malignancy in recent months.

“I was forced to trim my nine-year-old daughter's head because her tresses was coming out from the drugs she had to administer to eliminate her disease. Consequently it’s in our interest, it’s in her daughter's welfare [for the council] to disclose that knowledge,” she said.

“Countless residents in the town that have been confirmed to have pediatric illness and It seems it’s too much to ignore – it requires investigation. This isn't typical.”

Personal Stories

A community member, aged thirty-one, who has a professional career and now has moved away, said parents earned “absolute honesty and transparency” from the government.

Her 11-year-old sister, the girl, passed away on a specific date after being confirmed to have a uncommon malignancy at the age of nine. Her sister, who raised awareness for health organizations, was “among the lovable, entertaining and kindest” people, she stated.

Her mother recollects the consequence of the shutdown of the steel plant on the town, she explained. “She mentioned you were unable to place your palm in ahead of you because [of] the particulate matter.”

“These issues have continued since around about three years old. This duration is unreasonable and it is irresponsibility toward the community members.”

Past Associations

A relative, Maggie Mahon, was one of several parents participating in the court proceeding against the then Corby council after her newborn was born with a congenital issue. Her husband, Derek, was a member of the truck operators responsible for handling substances from the steelworks. Their story was portrayed in a media production, and showed Maggie beating the debris from her partner's pants.

Alison said the campaign group has been reached out to by whistleblowers who were responsible for the disposal of substances in the area.